News & blog - Buying & Owning a Car

  The most important thing you can do to reduce the risk of breakdown is to get your car serviced to the manufacturer’s schedule and specification. Beyond regular servicing, the following simple checks will help you to enjoy safe, worry-free motoring. Tyres Know the correct tyre pressures for your car and check them at least every two weeks using a good-quality gauge or garage air line. Check tyre tread and condition – look for cuts on sidewalls. If anyone tyre needs regular top-ups, it may have a slow puncture. Don’t forget to check the spare as well. Toolkit Check the handbook for the location of the basic toolkit for the car that should contain at least a jack and wheel removal tools. Familiarise yourself with the jacking points used to lift the car safely. If locking wheel nuts are fitted make sure that the toolkit includes the key or removal tool. Engine oil Check the dipstick at least every fortnight and before any long journey. Have the oil and filter changed at recommended service intervals using oil of the correct specification. High oil consumption can indicate engine problems. Water Check the coolant level regularly and top up as necessary – but only when the engine is cold. Have the antifreeze concentration checked before winter. Antifreeze prevents the build-up of corrosion within the cooling system as well as stopping the coolant freezing so is important all year round. Wipers Wiper blades wear down over time and smear the windscreen if they become worn. Replace them at least once a year for best performance. Screenwash Check and top up regularly – it’s a legal requirement that the system works. Use a good screenwash additive through summer and winter – water alone won’t clear oily road grime and freezes more readily in winter. Windscreen Check regularly for stone damage as this can impair vision or distract attention. Minor chips can grow and crack the glass but many can be repaired by a windscreen specialist. Lights Check all lights weekly. Don’t forget indicators, brake and fog lights. Clean lights regularly. In bad weather wipe them over with a damp cloth during driving breaks. Power steering Ensure that the fluid reservoir is checked at every service, and check it yourself once a month. Top up only using the correct hydraulic fluid as advised in the car handbook. Bodywork Deal promptly with damage to bodywork to prevent rust setting in. Many cars have extended bodywork warranty schemes, which may require annual inspection at the dealer. Check that any previous owner has kept records up to date. Call Us Now Chat Live Now Clients

The first thing you need to ask yourself when you set out to replace  / buy your first car is whether you actually need to buy a new one. • Depreciation is the single biggest cost in running a car. Even if you only buy a one-year-old model, you’ll be missing out on some seriously large losses as the biggest drop comes in the first 12 months. • Look at the sums, and you might be able to buy a better equipped, more powerful version of the model you want by opting for a used model. You might even be able to upgrade a whole class thanks to big second-hand savings. • Our reliability and owner-satisfaction reports can show you which models are proving robust and which are proving disappointing. Pick one of the best, and there’s no reason to think you’ll be left stranded by the roadside just because you bought second-hand. • Even if the car you’re looking at is more than three years old, it doesn’t mean it can’t be protected by a warranty. Most approved-used schemes will provide 12 months of cover, and you can always take out your own policy with an independent provider for a few hundred pounds. • If you’ve got the budget and you’re determined to buy new, haggle hard. Use the What Car? Target Price to find out the kind of discounts that you should be able to get on any new car, and you’ll offset some of those nasty depreciation losses. • A new car will also obviously come with the full balance of the manufacturer’s warranty, which repairs many faults free of charge. This will usually give you three years’ peace of mind but it can be as long as seven if you opt for a Kia. • Special offers such as interest-free finance are most commonly attached to new cars, so this might be enough to convince you not to go down the used route. • A new car will be to your exact specification, and you can’t put a price on sitting in your own new car for the first time. Good luck everyone! Call Us Now Chat Live Now Clients